Adjustable and retractable trailer hitch

ABSTRACT

A trailer hitch for a vehicle comprises a housing and a shaft member which are telescopically positioned relative to each other. A single or multiple ball trailer hitch is provided on the side or sides of the shaft adjacent its end, and cooperating means on the shaft and housing are provided for positioning them at longitudinally predetermined, spaced relationships, as well as permitting the ball trailer hitch to be positioned in any one of several rotated planes or in retracted position when not in use. Where a multiple ball trailer hitch is provided, the balls may be of different diameter.

United States Patent [191 Johnson 1 Feb. 20, 1973 [54] ADJUSTABLE ANDRETRACTABLE FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS TRAILER HITCH 947,675 8/l956Germany ..280/49l A [76] Inventor: Thomas C. Johnson, 1009 Hender-645,022 7/1964 Belgium ..280/49l A son Street, Houston, Tex. 77027 [22]Filed: May 18, 1971 Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia AttorneyJack W. Hayden[21] Appl. No.2 144,586

[57] ABSTRACT [52] 280/ 415 8 1 g A trailer hitch for a vehiclecomprises a housing and a shaft member which are telescopicallypositioned relagz' fi' 'gg 'g gg 55g 'm gfg lg tive to each other. Asingle or multiple ball trailer hitch is provided on the side or sidesof the shaft ad- [56] References Cited jacent its end, and cooperatingmeans on the shaft and housin are rovided for ositioning them atlongitug P P UNITED STATES PATENTS dinally predetermined, spacedrelationships, as well as 2,838,327 6/1958 Collins ..280/491 Apermitting the trailer hitch Pmitioned 2,544,185 3/1951 sargam ."280/491A one of several rotated planes or m retracted posltlon 2,671,674 3/1954Dcrksen 280/491 A when not in use. Where a multiple ball trailer hitchis 2,804,316 8/1957 Derksen .....280/491 A provided, the balls may be ofdifferent diameter. 2,872,213 2/1959 Hosford ..280/4l5 A 2,474,2316/1949 Crosley ..280/491 A 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures I L m 1 2 =1 1E A7 I 1" l I I I 1 WI I I o L 20 J 276 L 6 C 1 ADJUSTABLE AND RETRACTABLETRAILER HITCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Insome instances it is desirable to place the ball in either an upwardlyfacing position or a downwardly facing position or a sidewardly facingposition, as well as being able to retract it so that it does notprotrude or project beyond the bumper of the vehicle. Also, it issometimes desirable to have ball hitches of several different diametersfor fitting with the proper size conforming part of the trailer tongue.

An object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simpletrailer hitch for a vehicle which may include single or multiple ballhitches of different diameter and which enables the ball trailer hitchto be positioned either in up, down, or a sideward position relative tothe vehicle bumper, as well as enabling the ball trailer hitch to beretracted when desired.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a hollowhousing and a shaft telescopically fitting within the housing with aball trailer hitch means on the shaft adjacent its end and means on thehousing and shaft for accommodating relative longitudinal movementbetween the shaft and housing as well as positioning the shaft andhousing in any one of several longitudinal and angular relationships.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from a consideration of the present description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view, partly insection, illustrating one form of the present invention wherein the balltrailer hitch is positioned to face upwardly relative to the vehiclebumper;

FIG. 2 illustrates a form of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with the balltrailer hitch retracted to a position so that it does not project orprotrude beyond the vehicle bumper when not in use;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, illustrating another form ofvehicle bumper with the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2secured to the frame of the vehicle;

FIG. 4 illustrates the trailer hitch of the present invention inretracted position in the form of bumper i1- lustrated in FIG. 3; and OFFIG. 5 illustrates another form of the invention with alternate meansfor positioning the shaft and housing longitudinally relative to eachother and retaining them in a predetermined longitudinally fixedposition.

DESCRIPTION 0 THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, a front portion of avehicle is represented by the letter V, and the front bumper by theletter B. The present invention is referred to generally by the numeral10 and is shown as having a portion secured to the frame of the vehiclerepresented at 1 l and 1 la. The

present invention includes a hollow elongated housing 12 with a shaft 13telescopically received therein. A plurality of longitudinally spacedopenings as illustrated at 14 and 15 is provided in the shaft means, andan opening 16 is provided in the housing 12 for mating with any one ofthe openings as illustrated at 14 and 15 I so that the shaft and housingcan be positioned at a plurality of longitudinally and angularlytelescoped positions.

In FIG. 3, suitable means such as a pin 20 is provided for fittingthrough the opening 16 in the housing and any one of the openings whichare mated therewith in the shaft for locking the shaft and housing insuch predetermined longitudinal and angular relationship.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the shaft 13 is shown as beingextended beyond the bumper B, and the ball trailer hitch means 22 thatis formed adjacent one end of the shaft 13 is illustrated as having asingle ball 22a projecting upwardly for engagement with the tongue of atrailer. I

In FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the housing 12 and the shaft 13 are shown asbeing of noncircular, quadrilateral holspaced,

low configuration. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the ball hitch withdrawing theshaft 13 from the housing 12 and rotating it so that the ball 22projects downwardly, whereupon the shaft is then inserted within thehousing 12 and an opening in the shaft 13 aligned with the opening 16inthe housing, whereupon the pin means as illustrated at 20 may again bereinserted.

In FIG. 3 of the drawings, the bumper B is illustrated as being of adifferent configuration in that it is provided with a recess R. Thetrailer hitch of the present invention is again shown as being securedto the vehicle frame 11, and including a housing 12 and a shaft 13 withthe ball hitch 22 formed on the end thereof.

When it is desired to retract the trailer hitch 22 of the FIGS. 3 and 4form to an operative position, the shaft 13 may be withdrawn from thehousing 12 as previously described, and the shaft 13 is then rotated andthen reinserted in the noncircular housing 12 so thatthe balls 22a and22b project sidewardly and downwardly as illustrated in FIG. 4. When theholes 14 or 15 in the shaft 13 are aligned with holes 16 in housing 12,the pin 20 is inserted therethrough and the ball hitch 22 is retained inits retracted position. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the bumper B is covered by thecover C which also covers the recess R so as to provide a step. Althoughthe bumper B is shown as being on the front of the vehicle, 7

ing projections between the end projections 31 and 32 may be provided,if desired, so that the pin 33 formed on the shaft 13 may be moved tothe laterally extending portions of the slot 30 which thereby positionsthe housing 12 and shaft 13 in various predetermined longitudinalrelationships. The longitudinally extending portion 34 connects the twolaterally extending slots 31 and 32 to accommodate movement of the pin33 to either the laterally extending portion 31 or the laterallyextending portion 32. When the pin 33 is in the laterally extending slot32 as shown, the ball 22 on the end of shaft 13 is in an upwardposition; however, when the shaft 13 is rotated and the pin 33 movedalong slot 34 to the oppositely laterally extending slot 31, the ball 22then extends sidewardly to enable the hitch to assume the position shownin FIG. 4 of the drawings. When the holes in the shaft 13 and housing 12are aligned, the pin 20 is inserted and the ball hitch 20 is retained inits retracted position.

The form of the invention shown in FIG. may be employed with a vehiclehaving a bumper B of the form shown in either FIG. 1 or FIG. 3. In suchevent, in the FIG. 1 vehicle bumper, the ball hitch 22 would extendsidewardly rather than downwardly as illustrated.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the in-. vention areillustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size,shape, and materials as well as in the details of the illustratedconstruction may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. A trailer hitch arrangement including:

a. hollow elongated, non-circular housing means;

b. support means for said housing means including a vehicle bumperhaving a recess therein into which said housing means extends; shaftmeans telescopically received in said housing means;

d. ball hitch means supported adjacent one end of said shaft means, saidball hitch means including at least a pair of ball means each of whichis of a different size; and

. locking means cooperable with said hollow housing means and shaftmeans to retain said shaft and ball hitch means retracted in the bumperrecess and to lock said shaft means extended relative to said housingmeans to position said ball hitch means for use. I

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said locking means includes aplurality of holes at spaced longitudinal intervals in said shaft meanswith an opening in said housing for mating with any one of said openingsin said shaft, and means for fitting through said housing and shaftholes for securing said shaft means and housingin a predeterminedlongitudinal and angular relationship.

1. A trailer hitch arrangement including: a. hollow elongated,non-circular housing means; b. support means for said housing meansincluding a vehicle bumper having a recess therein into which saidhousing means extends; c. shaft means telescopically received in saidhousing means; d. ball hitch means supported adjacent one end of saidshaft means, said ball hitch means including at least a pair of ballmeans each of which is of a different size; and e. locking meanscooperable with said hollow housing means and shaft means to retain saidshaft and ball hitch means retracted in the bumper recess and to locksaid shaft means extended relative to said housing means to positionsaid ball hitch means for use.
 1. A trailer hitch arrangement including:a. hollow elongated, non-circular housing means; b. support means forsaid housing means including a vehicle bumper having a recess thereininto which said housing means extends; c. shaft means telescopicallyreceived in said housing means; d. ball hitch means supported adjacentone end of said shaft means, said ball hitch means including at least apair of ball means each of which is of a different size; and e. lockingmeans cooperable with said hollow housing means and shaft means toretain said shaft and ball hitch means retracted in the bumper recessand to lock said shaft means extended relative to said housing means toposition said ball hitch means for use.